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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27350764">Equilibrium</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sakuuya/pseuds/sakuuya'>sakuuya</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Battle for London in the Air (Roleplay)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>CHAUNCY SPENCER IS CONSTANTLY SHOUTING, Gen, Guns, Immortal Illuminati AU, It's Not Paranoia If They're Really Out To Get You, specifically - guns that work for everyone except Dr. J</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 01:46:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,139</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27350764</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sakuuya/pseuds/sakuuya</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Even though Dr. Jhandir works in IIA administration nowadays, he likes to keep his skills sharp in case he’s called back into the field. Today, it’s time for him to renew his firearm certification.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Equilibrium</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This takes place sometime after <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27044776">A Quiet Tuesday</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/multifandomgal/pseuds/multifandomgal">multifandomgal</a>.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dr. Jhandir’s pulse was racing as he opened the door to the firing range, and that was absurd. He had never been a master gunman, never good enough to qualify for assassinations, but the IIA’s basic firearm certification had never posed a problem for him. </p>
<p><em> Besides, </em> a treacherous thought whispered, <em> nothing will happen if you don’t pass</em>. <em> The head of the medical department doesn’t need to know how to use a gun. </em> The doctor scowled and held his head higher. He’d be called back into the field someday, Liam’s wishes be damned, and when that day came, he would be ready. No one would be able to say he did anything improper.</p>
<p>Chauncey Spencer was waiting for him behind the firing lanes, dressed like a football coach. Dr. Jhandir couldn’t keep the scowl off his face. Chauncey was still dating Irving, as far as the doctor knew. In all likelihood, Irving had assigned him as range master today specifically to make Dr. Jhandir’s test more difficult.</p>
<p>“Morning, Doctor!” Chauncey shouted. His earmuffs were around his neck, but judging from his volume, he must have had his earplugs in already. Or else he was just shouting as some kind of joke—it could be hard to tell with Chauncey.  “Lane two is all set for you! Start with the Glock, two bursts of five shots, please!”</p>
<p>Dr. Jhandir watched Chauncey go back to the control room before he went to lane two and donned his own earplugs and earmuffs. He removed the Glock’s cartridge to check that it was loaded, then snapped it back into place and raised the pistol, ready to fire. </p>
<p>Someone—most likely Chauncey—had taped a picture of Beck’s face over the target’s head. It was, Dr. Jhandir had to admit, a nice touch.</p>
<p>The starting light turned on. Dr. Jhandir squeezed the Glock’s trigger, but nothing happened. He tried again—nothing. He checked the safety, but it was off, and the loaded chamber indicator was raised.</p>
<p>“<em>Is something wrong?!</em>” Even over the damn intercom, Chauncey was shouting. “<em>If not, you can fire when ready!” </em></p>
<p>“Don’t you check the guns before administering these tests?” Dr. Jhandir growled back into the little speaker on the lane divider. “The wretched thing won’t fire!”</p>
<p>“<em>Could the safety be on?!</em>”</p>
<p>“Don’t patronize me, Chauncey.”</p>
<p>“<em>Okay, hang on, I’ll be right there!</em>”</p>
<p>Dr. Jhandir did re-engage the safety then, just in case. He glared at the hole-free picture of Beck on the target. It looked far too smug.</p>
<p>“Show me what’s wrong!” Dr. Jhandir still had his ears covered, so hadn’t heard Chauncey come up behind him. He jumped and hated himself for it. With exaggerated care, he disengaged the safety once again and took aim at Beck’s face. He was unsurprised when the Glock refused to fire.</p>
<p>“You see?”</p>
<p>Chauncey crowded into the lane with him, too close into the doctor’s personal space. “Here, let me see that!”</p>
<p>Dr. Jhandir handed the gun over and backed up gratefully. Chauncey took aim with the Glock and fired off a single shot, right through the center of Beck’s forehead. He peered at the gun and frowned.</p>
<p>“It seems all right to me! Try again, and I’ll see if I can spot where you’re going wrong!”</p>
<p>Dr. Jhandir grit his teeth and took the Glock back from Chauncey. He took careful aim at Beck once again, but the damn gun still wouldn’t fire for him. “You see? I’m not doing anything wrong; the issue must be with the gun.”</p>
<p>“How bizarre! Well, try the SA80 then, and we’ll come back to sidearms, eh?!”</p>
<p>The doctor selected the assault rifle from the shelf and did the usual pre-firing checks. If nothing else, Chauncey wouldn’t be able to say that he didn’t follow procedure. He planted his feet firmly to deal with the stronger recoil, but, as he expected, the rifle failed to fire for him. In the silence of no SA80 fire, he could swear he heard Chauncey chuckling behind him. He had to set the gun down before he whirled to check—he would definitely fail his certification if he pointed a firearm, even a defective one, at the range master—and by then, the other man’s face was serious and puzzled. Chauncey once again tried the gun himself, and was once again able to riddle Beck’s face with holes, but the damn thing just up and refused to fire for the doctor.</p>
<p>When the same scene played out with the sniper rifle, Dr. Jhandir started to worry that he was losing his mind. <em> Was </em> he really incapable of successfully firing a gun? No, no, that was ridiculous. He had been a competent, if unspectacular, gunman for a century and a half, and he made sure to log practice time whenever the service weapons changed, to ensure that he didn’t fall behind the technological curve and end up like Beck. He had experience firing every one of these guns at the range.</p>
<p>The only explanation was that someone was trying to ensure that he failed, to stop him from ever getting back in the field. Chauncey’s expression betrayed no ulterior motive, but there was a surfeit of people within the IIA who would enjoy seeing him founder. Not to mention outside forces—what if this was some kind of EVIL plot?</p>
<p>“I’m afraid I can’t certify you today!” Chauncey shouted, interrupting the doctor’s spiral. “These are some weird circumstances, but if you can’t actually fire a gun, I can’t give you your certification! Sorry!”</p>
<p>Dr. Jhandir didn’t dignify that with a response, just tore off his ear protection and stomped out of the range, determined to find out who had undermined him like this.</p><hr/>
<p>Chauncey knocked on the R&amp;D lab door with two knuckles, but went in without waiting for a response. Liz Maximoff looked up from where she was welding, shut off the electrode, and raised her mask.</p>
<p>“Oh, hi Chauncey! What can I do for you?”</p>
<p>Chauncey grinned. “I just came to tell you that I completed a successful field test of your new biometric triggers. Informal, of course, but it went swimmingly!”</p>
<p>“They worked for you? That’s fantastic!”</p>
<p>“More importantly,” Chauncey said with a wink, “They <em> didn’t </em> work for Dr. J.”</p>
<p>“Chauncey, you didn’t!” Liz exclaimed, gloved hands flying to her mouth, but she was laughing as she said it.</p>
<p>“I did it all right! Worked like a charm. Probably stay out of his way for a few days if you can; he was in a hell of a state when he failed his certification.”</p>
<p>“Luckily, I have plenty to do here, so that shouldn’t be a problem.” Liz glanced up at the clock, still smiling. “But I think I can take a few minutes to hear some details about your test results. For the sake of scientific progress.”</p>
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